DAYTONA BEACH — Any number of synonyms for “celebration” would have worked to describe the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats’ locker room late Thursday night.
“Oh, lit,” redshirt junior defensive back Darnell Deas said. “Lit.”
“Yeah,” graduate student wide receiver Tink Boyd said. “It’s a party in there after a win.”
It’s a feeling the Wildcats could get used to.
They beat Mississippi Valley State 20-7 in front of 4,380 fans at Daytona Stadium and more watching on ESPNU. The victory snapped a six-game losing streak and gave them their first Southwestern Athletic Conference win of the season.
“Really proud of the guys,” first-year head coach Raymond Woodie Jr. said. “They fought. We’ve been talking about it since the season started, putting all these aspects together.”
Bethune-Cookman celebrates a TD during a game with Texas Southern, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023.
Bethune-Cookman (2-7, 1-5 SWAC) jumped ahead 7-0 in the first quarter and never trailed. It added another touchdown and a Cade Hechter field goal in the second quarter to lead 17-0 at halftime.
On the first drive of the second half, the Delta Devils (1-8, 1-5 SWAC) went 63 yards on 10 plays for their only score: a 1-yard run by Jared Wilson.
Hechter drilled another kick in the third quarter, and neither team scored in the fourth.
Here are three takeaways:
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Trick play gets scoring started
Before freshman running Mar’Kai Shaw registered a collegiate carry, he threw a touchdown pass.
Bethune-Cookman dug into its Halloween bag and dug out a trick play for Shaw midway through the first quarter.
Graduate student quarterback Tylik Bethea took the snap and tossed the ball to Shaw, who ran right. After a few steps behind the line of scrimmage, he stopped and launched a…
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